2013 Gold Cup groups and schedule announced

The Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup groups and schedule, with Houston being awarded Group B games featuring El Salvador vs. Haiti and Honduras vs. Trinidad & Tobago at BBVA Compass Stadium on Monday, July 15. The doubleheader will kick-off at 6 p.m. The complete schedule can be found online at www.GoldCup.org.

The 2013 Gold Cup final will take place at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday, July 28th at 4p.m. EST. As previously announced, the Rose Bowl will host the opening doubleheader of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday, July 7th, which will feature reigning Gold Cup champion, Mexico taking on Panama as part of that doubleheader.

Tickets for CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B doubleheader games will be available to the general public starting on Thursday, March 21 at 10 a.m. and will be available online at www.bbvacompassstadium.com, www.axs.com or www.GoldCup.org or by calling 888-929-7849. Tickets are also available at the Ticket Office, open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“We look forward to a successful tournament and an exciting 2013 Gold Cup final on July 28, right here at Soldier Field,” said CONCACAF President, Jeffrey Webb. “We also expect yet another competition fueled by passionate fans brought together in a celebration that will hopefully inspire a whole new generation of players.”

Mexico will anchor Group A, which begins play on July 7, in a doubleheader that kicks off with Canada taking on Martinique at 5:30pm EST the Rose Bowl. Honduras will lead Group B the following day, facing Haiti at Red Bull Arena on July 8, with El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago facing off earlier in the evening. The United States will play the following night, July 9 in Portland's JELD-WEN Field against Belize in Group C, which also will include Costa Rica vs. Cuba in the first match of the doubleheader.

The 2013 Gold Cup quarterfinals will be played in Atlanta's Georgia Dome and Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium, both first-time hosts in the tournament. The semifinals will head to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX on Wednesday, July 24.

With a mix of historic venues and brand new state of the art soccer facilities that average 57,000 spectators, the 2013 edition of the Gold Cup promises to provide fans both in stadium and at home with unforgettable atmospheres. In 2011, the tournament drew more than 600,000 fans throughout 13 match-days, including nine sell-outs. Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has established itself as the region's most popular national team tournament, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of television viewers across the region. It features the confederation’s best players from the top 12 nations